Firebox VHS to digital video converter

July 7, 2008 When a new technology usurps a previous one there are often casualties. With the downfall of VHS the casualties were the stacks and stacks of VHS cassettes people had collected over the 30 year period when VHS ruled the Earth. Of course there’s no need to say goodbye to those precious magnetic memories with a range of digital converting options available - but possibly none as easy as that provided by the imaginatively titled USB VHS Converter. Just connect the machine to a PC, pop a tape in the machine, select your desired output format and press play.

The included EZ VHS Converter software caters for a variety of formats for a range of devices including iPod, PSP and DVD and the unit can also convert videos from camcorder to PC, via AV sockets on the front of the device. Video can be captured at resolutions up to 720 x 576 with iPod conversion available in 320x240 or 640x480 resolutions and, although the EZ VHS Converter software is not Mac compatible, the unit will apparently work with iMovie and iVideo software on the Mac. As well as the USB output, the unit also features a Scart output and supports both NTSC and PAL TV formats. And for those people who just can’t bear to part with their VHS collection, the unit also functions as a regular VHS player.

The USB VHS Converter is available through Firebox.com for UKP149.95, (US$235).

Darren's love of technology started in primary school with a Nintendo Game & Watch Donkey Kong (still functioning) and a Commodore VIC 20 computer (not still functioning). In high school he upgraded to a 286 PC, and he's been following Moore's law ever since. This love of technology continued through a number of university courses and crappy jobs until 2008, when his interests found a home at Gizmag. All articles by Darren Quick